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Question

According to the Article 75 of the Indian Constitution, the total number of ministers (including the Prime Minister) in the Council of Ministers shall NOT exceed what percentage of the total members of the House of the People, i.e., Lok Sabha?

The correct answer is

15%

This limit is fixed by Article 75(1A) of the Constitution, which was inserted by the 91st Constitutional Amendment Act, 2003. It provides that the total number of Ministers, including the Prime Minister, in the Council of Ministers shall not exceed 15% of the total number of members of the House of the People (Lok Sabha).

The amendment was introduced mainly to curb two problems: the practice of forming very large, unwieldy councils of ministers to accommodate defecting or coalition legislators, and the resulting drain on the public exchequer. The same 91st Amendment also strengthened the anti-defection law, so the two changes together were aimed at cleaner, leaner governance.

A quick calculation confirms the figure. With the Lok Sabha having a strength of 543 elected members, the maximum permissible size of the council is 15% × 543 = 81.45, which is taken as 81 ministers (including the Prime Minister), since the count cannot exceed the fraction. A parallel ceiling of 15% applies to State legislative assemblies under Article 164(1A), subject to a minimum floor of 12 ministers.

The higher figures such as 20% and 25% are simply above the constitutional cap and would defeat the very purpose of restraining oversized cabinets, while 10% is below the actual limit set by the Constitution. Only 15% matches the text of Article 75(1A).

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